1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention is a composition, system and method of creating and using whole algae as a food supplement for animals. The algae are high in omega 3s DHA and or EPA (and other constituents) in relation to total fats, and are suitable for cattle and bison's digestive system. The resulting meat with high DHA and EPA provides a superior beef with heart healthy properties and other healthy properties for the consumer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a current recognition of the diverse benefits of algae as a nutritional supplement, a potential biofuel, and with sonic technologies for growing as a means to capture excess or unwanted CO2. The field of algae growth, harvesting and processing is burgeoning and hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested into this industry, mostly aimed at identifying the most promising strains of algae for biofuel and developing prototype cultivation facilities for their growth. Additionally, more recently, algae growers are focusing on growing algae high in Omega 3's and to process the algae into its constituents, with the Omega 3's being of very high value and then producing biofuel with the remaining fats, and having a residual for other constituents including a byproduct animal feed high in protein. Algae may someday achieve the game changing ability to convert renewable sunlight into transportation fuel. Sustainable transportation fuel was the hope underlying corn based ethanol but the reality is that energy yields from corn are too low, while the use of prime, cropland to grow ethanol feedstock has crowded our agricultural system.
Algae is nature's most basic photosynthesis organism. Some algae consume water, sunlight and carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce sugars. Those sugars and reduced high-energy compounds eventually produce the lipids, which can be readily processed into biofuel that can be used in place of diesel fuel. Corn grown on America's best farmland can yield less than 200 gallons per acre of bioethanol. Experts agree that algae can yield more than 25 times the energy density of corn-derived biofuel; algae grown on an acre of wasteland (requiring only decent sunlight) can yield anywhere between 2,000 and 7,000 gallons of biofuel per year. Algae may be a biofuel competitive with diesel oil priced at $2.00 to $3.00 per gallon if algae can be found or made to grow faster, or the algae can be modified genetically to refine fuel such as gasoline, which is then excreted through the cell wall of the algae so it does not have to be processed. However, algae, which is heterotrophic, can use organic carbon sources in the water, such as sugar under fermentation, or glucose, as a substitute for sunlight, or in addition to sunlight. This patent focusses on the growth of such heterotrophic algae for use as an animal feed supplement, because there are now available techniques for growing such algae that are much less expensive than former methods. While this growing technique does not directly use CO2 from power plant and ethanol plant emissions, there is CO2 removed from the atmosphere by the plant, sugar cane, which uses the CO2 (from power plant or ethanol plant emissions) in the photosynthetic process. The heterotrophic algae also commonly have silica cell walls making less likely to break in the rumen, and leave the omega 3's intact when released in the small intestine.
There are two groups of essential fatty acids, Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in the oil of cold-water fish, such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, anchovies and tuna, or as extracted oil from plants, such as flaxseed, canola (rapeseed), or soybean. Examples of Omega-3 fatty acids include docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). Of key importance, the Omega 3's LPA and DHA are found in large amounts only in cold-water fish, and not in land animals or seeds. Hence, to obtain large amounts of EPA and DHA, humans need eat oily fish or take oil supplements, which are made from fish or from the algae that form the base of the food chain for fish. ALA, in contrast, is found abundantly in seeds such as flax. Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to a wide variety of beneficial health effects in documented intervention studies as essential constituents of cells, especially brain cells, nerve cells, retina, adrenal glands, and reproductive cells. Long chain Omega-3 polyunsaturates (PUFA's) such as DHA&EPA are thought to have health benefits for the heart, skin, and immune system and help regulate inflammatory diseases, attention deficit disorders and infant development. There are also a number of new studies underway that suggest benefits in preventing Alzheimer's, dementia, colorectal cancers, and reducing deaths due to heart disease.
There have been a number of patents granted outlining the benefits from specific Omega fatty acids present in food and/or supplements. Several patents have also been granted for the enrichment of foods that are normally low or deficient in Omega-3/6 and PUFA's. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,257 (Wright et al.) relates to DHA being produced in cow's milk through the feeding of cold-water fishmeal to cows, using a feather meal based feed supplement. The feather meal used according to this prior art reference is used as an inhibitor of microbial degradation of DHA in the rumen of the dairy cattle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,911,944 and 5,290,573 also disclose the use of feed supplements containing fishmeal combined with animal by-products e.g. feather meal, bone meal and the like. A number of patents have also been granted for the elevation of Omega-3 in eggs using flax meal or algae/DHA feed supplements in chickens.
In terms of algae, (DHA fermented concentrates), these feed and food mixes are produced via genetic recombination technology, which has limited consumer favor in most markets. Prior art feed formulas have a number of deficiencies on a practical basis. For example, fish meal/feather meal feed supplements are very unpalatable and can be a feeding deterrent to livestock such as cows, and only limited amounts of DHA can be achieved in the milk. Also, the use of animal by-products, i.e., blood meal/feather meal, have been banned in most countries to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
There is a need in the art for feed supplements capable of elevating the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids in beef. The above discussed limitations in the prior art is not intended to be exhaustive. The current invention provides a solution not currently found in the known art.